Community Guide Branch, Division of Public Health Information Dissemination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia.

3

Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia.

4

National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.

5

American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia.

6

Klein Buendel, Lakewood, Colorado.

7

Cancer Council Victoria, Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Victoria, Australia.

8

Cancer Society Social & Behavioral Research Unit, Department of Prevention & Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

9

University of Tasmania, Menzies Research Institute, Tasmania, Australia.

10

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and School of Nursing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Abstract

CONTEXT:

Skin cancer is a preventable and commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. Excessive ultraviolet radiation exposure is a known cause of skin cancer. This article presents updated results of two types of interventions evaluated in a previously published Community Guide systematic review: multicomponent community-wide interventions and mass media interventions when used alone.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION:

Studies assessing multicomponent community-wide and mass media interventions to prevent skin cancer by reducing ultraviolet radiation exposure were evaluated using Community Guide systematic review methods. Relevant studies published between 1966 and 2013 were included and analyzed for this review.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS:

Seven studies evaluating the effectiveness of multicomponent community-wide interventions showed a median increase in sunscreen use of 10.8 (interquartile interval=7.3, 23.2) percentage points, a small decrease in ultraviolet radiation exposure, a decrease in indoor tanning device use of 4.0 (95% CI=2.5, 5.5) percentage points, and mixed results for other protective behaviors. Four studies evaluating the effectiveness of mass media interventions found that they generally led to improved ultraviolet protection behaviors among children and adults.

CONCLUSIONS:

The available evidence showed that multicomponent community-wide interventions are effective in reducing the deleterious effects of ultraviolet radiation exposure by increasing sunscreen use. There was, however, insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of mass media interventions alone in reducing ultraviolet radiation exposure and increasing ultraviolet protection behaviors, indicating a continuing need for more research in this field to improve assessment of effectiveness.

Search yield for evidence included in MM and MCCW interventions.Note: As per update methods, the original 1966–2000 search for evidence was not repeated. MCCW, multicomponent community-wide; MM, mass media.